At Coimbatore, photosynthetic rate, nitrate reductase activity and leaf chlorophyll content of cotton grown in elevated CO2 atmosphere were higher than control. At Nagpur, preparation of ridge furrow at the first intercultural increased soil moisture at 0-30 cm and 30-60-cm depth at peak boll development stage from 14.91 and 21.73% in control to 16.09 and 22.51%. This recorded significantly higher cotton yield.

Plant Protection:

Rapid and inexpensive parathyroid resistance detection unit has been developed at Nagpur for detection and determination of resistance frequency in field strains of Helicoverpa armigera. Seed treatment with Imidacloprid (70 ws) at 5 g/kg of seed was effective in controlling sucking pests up to 70 days after sowing.

Three releases of Chrysopa cornea (10,000/ha/week) and 5 releases of Trichogramma chilonis (250,000/ha) between 45 and 110 days were found effective in controlling bollworm. Sirene, a new formulation of pheromone, effectively checked the pink bollworm infestation. Cowpea intercropped with cotton resulted in lesser aphid and leafhopper population and lesser bollworm incidence than cotton alone.

Maize, Cassia occidentalis, castor, sunhemp and marigold, when intercropped with cotton or found growing in the fields, harboured parasitoids/predators of cotton-pests at Anand, Gujarat. Biocontrol-based IPM damage. Parasitization by Trichogramma chilonis on Helicoverpa armigera eggs was highest in Punjab. BIPM practices adopted at Hyderab, which included intercropping with groundnut, excelled included intercropping with of cotton pests. Incremental cost: benefit in BIPM was high (10.07) as compared to farmer’s practice (1.55) and judicious usage of insecticides (1.59).

Sugarcane:

Test entries Co 9 1011 and Co 91005 gave best performance at Anakapalle for cane yield (118.7 tonnes/ha and 117.8 tonnes/ha) when compared with Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa. In western Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana, CoS 91269 was best at a number of locations, Co 91010 gave the highest cane yield of plant crop (119.5 tonnes/ha) and ratoon-crop (98.06 tennes/ha) at Coimbatore.

Ninety intraspecific hybrids of Saccharum robustum showed a mean sucrose content of 10.9%, which is substantially higher than sucrose content of the natural population of Saccharum robustum. Maximum sucrose content was 14.07%. Thirteen clones, viz. Co 98001 to Co 98013 have been identified as promising on the basis of yield and quality.

The cane yield and sucrose of these ranged from 95.69% tonnes/ha to 141.75 tonnes/ha and 18.68% to 21.37%. Co 98004 combined high cane yield of 125.27 tonnes/ha with sucrose percentage of 20.24. New clones of Saccharum spontaneum and Erianthus from north-eastern region in crosses with hybrid cane varieties gave hybrids with better vigour and tillering capacity.

The application of 20 tonnes of farmyard manure (FYM) or cane trash + sulphitation press-mud each at 10 tonnes/ha, along with recommended dose of NPK sustained productivity of sugarcane at the higher level than NPK alone at the recommended dose.

ADVERTISEMENTS:

The application of 100 and 125% of recommended dose of N (150 kg/ha) in 2-3 equal splits increased yield of seed-cane from 71.3 to 73.7 tonnes/ha and 74.0 to 84.4 tonnes/ha, besides improving quality parameter, in Uttaranchal Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, and in 4 equal splits proved advantageous in the West Bengal.

Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, 250 k- N/ha (cane yield 72.9 tonnes/ha) to 450 N/ha (cane \yield 123.3 tonnes/ha). The late shoots/ water shoots are normally harvested along with the millable canes. Retention of late shoots in crop harvested late (in April or May) provides additional benefit of cane yield in ratoon-crop. CoLK 8102 and CoLK 8001 registered 32.3 and 23.2 tonnes/ha higher cane yield when water- shoots/tillers were retained at the harvest.

Through photoperiodic treatments, IND 85-581, IND 84-463, IND 84-461 and SES 293 clones were induced to flower. And similarly delay in flowering was also achieved. The delay in flowering based on first tip emergence ranged from 13 days in CoLK 8102 to 22 days in CoH 15 and BO 91. Clones of treated Saccharum sponataneum crosses flowered during second and third week of November, and control plants flowered in October.

When the chopped bits of sugarcane having sufficient growth of red-rot fungus were incorporated in pots, and healthy sets were planted in red-rot debris incorporated soil it was observed that growth of red-rot fungus was more in the debris incorporated soil during early stage of planting.

In Punjab, release of Trichogramma chilonis at 50,000/ha at 10 days interval during May-June proved promising in planted and ratoon crops for controlling Chilo infuscatellus, and during July- October for Chilo auricilius. Topobracon sp. (1.7 2.8%) has been recorded for the first time on Scirpophaga exceptalis larvae in Punjab.

At Coimbatore, Sturmiopsis inferens peak activity on sugarcane shoot-borer chilo infuscatellus was noticed during January (5.6%) and November (0.1%) and of Cotesia flavipes was seen only in August (0.5%). Granulosis virus (GV) on shoot-borer larvae was seen throughout the year at Coimbatore and the peak was in August.

Beauveria brongniartii showed limited ovicidal activity on white-grubs in laboratory. This fungus dosage equivalent of 1013 – 1017 spores/ha caused higher levels of mortality in the third instar grubs than first instars in pot experiments at Coimbatore.

Jute and its Allied Fibres:

Five strains of jute Corchorus capsularis have finer quality of fibre (1.30 Tex to 1.40 Tex) besides JRC 321 (1.55 Tex). Two strains of Corchorus olitorius are found at a par with Chaitali (JRO 878) in terms of fineness (2.97 Tex to 3.05 Tex).

Liming as well as farmyard manure (FYM) with recommended fertilizers produced highest C. capsularis fibre yield (1.83 tonnes/ha) when compared with tonnes/ha of control (N30 P30 9K30) at Nagaon (Assam). At the same location, in C. olitorius-rice cropping, 50% inorganic nitrogen along with 5 tonnes of farmyard maure (FYM) /ha increased fibre yield (2.49 tonnes/ha) compared to 1.64 tonnes/ha in control.

Gliricidia compost enriched available soil N, and its residual effect on the succeeding crop was found promising.

Plant Protection:

In jute, prevalence of root-rot was up to 30% at Katihar (Bihar) and stem-rot and collar-rot up to 257 at Coochbihar (West Bengal). Inhibition of radial growth of Macrophomina phaseolina by Trichoderma harzianum (61 %). Trichoderma viride (59%) and Gliocladium virens (44%) was observed in invitro.

Tobacco:

FCV tobacco NLS 4 with an yield potential of 2,500 kg/ha was found for light soils of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka and KST 19 Thrupthi (1,500/kg/ha), resistant to black shank, root-knot nematode and tolerant to drought stress, for light sols of Karnataka are suitable for cultivation for cultivation.

All F interspecific hybrids were screened for aphid resistance and 6 showed resistance. Among 4 bridge-cross hybrids, 2 with Nicotiana gossei, as a donor parent, have been found resistant to aphids. Among various crops tested for alternate crops to tobacco in black cotton soils, growing of hybrid maize during kharif, followed by chickpea in rabi, showed a benefit: cost ratio of I: 4.40, followed by tobacco monocropping with a benefit: cost ratio of 1: 1.83.

Sunnhemp green manuring (kharif) + bidi tobacco (early rabi) followed by maize during summer gave the highest gross income. Maximum net returns of Rs. 64,933/ha in chewing tobacco were recorded in Bihar with a combination of 25% nitrogen as mustard-cake + 25% nitrogen as castor-cake + 50% nitrogen as urea.

Score 23% EC (Difenoconzole), a systematic triazole fungicide, is identified as a better chemical than recommended Bavistin 50% wp for controlling anthracnose in FCV tobacco nurseries. Brown-spot damage in the field crop can be effectively checked by 3 or 4 foliar sprays of systematic fungicides Tilt and Score at 0.2% or non-systematic fungicides Indofil M-45 and Foltaf at 0.5% in light soils.

BIMP practices for Helicoverpa armigera which included HaNPV at 450 LE/ha and management practices to improve natural enemy activity, through erection of bird perches and raising 2 rows of Tagetes around FCV tobacco fields, resulted in only 1.30% damage by Helicoverpa armigera as compared to 20-30% in farmers’ method.